Ireland
by Jake2
Summary: A Padawan from a planet nicknamed "Ireland" has to fight in a war against overwhealming odds. Takes place 500 years before ROTJ!


Title: Ireland  
  
Author: Jake  
  
E-mail: jareed@min.net  
  
Category: songfic, action, POV  
  
Rating: PG (violence)  
  
Spoilers: none  
  
Time Period: Way before Episode I!  
  
Summary: A Jedi Padawan must fight with a group of outnumbered Jedi in a war. Author's note: This is a songfic for the song "Ireland" by Garth Brooks. I own nothing. It is all property of Garth Brooks and George Lucas.  
  
-Ireland-  
  
PROLOUGE:  
  
They say mother earth is breathing  
  
With each wave that finds the shore  
  
Her soul rises in the evening  
  
For to open twilight's door  
  
Her eyes are the stars in heaven  
  
Watching o'er us all the while  
  
And her heart it is in Ireland  
  
Deep within the Emerald Isle.  
  
The sun glinted off my lightsaber handle as I drew it from my belt. First let me describe who I am. My name is Eeth Reed, and I am from the planet of Yasmalara. It is more commonly known as Ireland. You may find that a strange name. It was named that because the core is full of Ire, the most valuable emerald in the galaxy.  
  
It is so rare because my people don't let anybody drill into the core. Actually, the only way down to the core is through a water tunnel that's located in the heart of Emerald Isle, the most beautiful island on Ireland.  
  
Sixteen years ago my master came to Ireland on a mission. He had to stop people from entering the tunnel and smuggling the Ire out. My master, Felt Helo, always wanted to be certain of everything he did, so he's stayed on Ireland for the past sixteen years, the only connection with the outside world being holo-transmissions from the Jedi Temple.  
  
In his second year, Felt took me as his Padawan. I was one. Now I'm sixteen, and we both protect the Emerald Isle. The time of day that I practice my lightsaber is the most beautiful. The sun always reflects off the mineral-filled water and forms a rainbow on any metal. In this case, my lightsaber.  
  
My master says that this place is the best place to learn, for it's filled with the living force.  
  
I turned on my lightsaber, its green blade cutting through the air. I spin it above my head before bringing it down to skim the ground. Moving as if in a dance, I flow like the wind.  
  
Suddenly, though, my master cut my lightsaber practice short by using the force to bring my lightsaber to his outstretched hand. I looked over at him, curious. The one thing my master would never do is interrupt my practice.  
  
"What is it, Master?" I asked him.  
  
"And emergency, Eeth," he replied, worried. "A war. On the planet of Alderaan."  
  
I wasn't very surprised at the fact that Alderaan was a planet that was always at war with the Galactic Republic. They had a beautiful planet, but trained warriors.  
  
"When do we start, Master?"  
  
PART ONE:  
  
We are forty against hundreds  
  
In someone else's bloody war  
  
We know not why we're fighting  
  
Or what we're dying for  
  
They will storm us in the morning  
  
When the sunlight turns the sky  
  
Death is waiting for its dance now  
  
Fate has sentenced us to die  
  
Ireland I am coming home  
  
I can see your rolling fields of green  
  
And fences made of stone  
  
I am reaching out won't you take my hand  
  
I'm coming home, Ireland.  
  
The scream broke the early morning air, waking up the entire camp. The eleven other Jedi and me were immediately awake, lightsabers blazing. The twenty-eight soldiers took a slightly longer time getting up.  
  
Suddenly, from the woods around us, fifty Alderaan warriors came at us in a dead run. The soldiers drew their blasters and started firing, while me and the rest of the Jedi focused on our inner calm. One by one, each of us found it. The first one who did was my Master Felt. He flipped forward and attacked the enemies furiously.  
  
I was the second one to reach it, and I leapt into the middle of the approaching company. I landed with a stab of my saber, killing a warrior. Spinning around, I blocked a bolt back into another warrior's face. I flipped backwards, and took another's head from his shoulders.  
  
Working my way to the outskirts of the battle, I dismembered another one. When I reached the outskirts, I leapt straight up, searching for a dead Jedi. Instantly I saw the empty robes of Master Yickell, who was the same species as Master Yoda, the four-hundred-year-old Jedi Council Member.  
  
I ran into the battle to the dead Jedi, and grabbed his lightsaber. Now I was twice as deadly as before. With both lightsabers, I span around with my arms outstretched, killing five warriors at the same time.  
  
Taking a small leap forward, I kicked a warrior in the face with my foot and landed on the throat of another. With a gargled cry, he stopped breathing.  
  
Spin! Slash! Stab! Kill! My mind floods with thoughts and emotions. I feel guilty over killing so many fellow humans, but I also feel as if they deserved it. We had told them what would happen if they didn't comply with the Republic's requests.  
  
I guess you're wondering what's happened since the day when Master Felt told me about the war. We instantly flew to Alderaan and met up with eighteen other Jedi and fifty soldiers.  
  
We had met one of the head men of the Alderaan army. We had told him that we would fight if he didn't surrender to the Republic. He refused.  
  
Since then, life has been horrible. We have to hunt for our food, and in the past two weeks thirty people have died. They love to attack us in the morning, when we are still groggy from the late night of marching toward the Alderaan fort capital.  
  
When we reach there, we have to attack with all our forces, and we might win the war by taking over the fort and capturing the head man.  
  
On the first night I asked my master why the Republic didn't send a whole army. He told me that the Republic didn't even have one. I think that's crazy! This war should change their minds, though.  
  
So now all forty of us (now probably reduced to thirty some) are tired, bleeding, sick, and hating this stupid war.  
  
Finally, the morning raid was fended off, and I went over to the fire for some food. The rations keep getting smaller and smaller as the Alderaan soldiers keep killing the animals and leaving them to rot.  
  
As I sat down to my tiny portion of food, I couldn't help thinking about how much I hate this war, and how I want to go back to Ireland, my home.  
  
PART TWO:  
  
Oh the captain he lay bleeding  
  
I can hear him calling me  
  
These men are yours now for the leading  
  
Show them to their destiny  
  
And as I look up all around me  
  
I see the ragged tired and torn  
  
I tell them to make ready  
  
'Cause we're not waiting for the morn  
  
Ireland I am coming home  
  
I can see your rolling fields of green  
  
And fences made of stone  
  
I am reaching out won't you take my hand  
  
I'm coming home, Ireland.  
  
As I sat cleaning my lightsaber, I heard the cries of Master Bondaras in the makeshift tent we constructed. It was around seven at night. In the last battle, we lost seven soldiers and two Jedi, and three soldiers and one Jedi were wounded. The wounded Jedi was Master Bondaras, the leader of our group, and the dead Jedi were Master Ikrike and my master, Master Felt.  
  
I remember the moment when he died. I saw the shot coming toward him and I leapt forward, trying to push him out of the way, but he was too far away. The bolt hit him in the chest, killing him on the spot. I remember the anger I felt, but the sadness made my heart too heavy to move. But now I know that he is back at Ireland, happy. I wish I were there.  
  
It is strange, though. Everybody came to me and complimented my fighting. I don't know if it's because I've gotten better, or if it's just out of pity.  
  
But I couldn't think about it any longer, for the medic soldier came out of the tent that Master Bondaras. "Eeth Reed?" he asked me. After I nodded, he said, "Master Jedi Bondaras wishes to see you.  
  
Confused, I walked into his tent.  
  
The weak Jedi ushered me over to his cot. "What is it, Master?" I asked him respectfully.  
  
"I want you to take my position." the Jedi Master spoke slowly.  
  
My jaw must have dropped to the floor. Why was he asking me? I was just a Padawan, and there were several masters still alive. Why me? And I asked him that.  
  
"Because you are better." he said, and his voice trailed off, as his life left his body.  
  
I slowly stood up, shocked at the sudden turnabout that had taken place in the past few minutes. A Padawan who had just lost his master had just become the leader in a war against the Republic.  
  
Walking out of the tent into the campground, I looked around and studied the rest of the group. They were all sitting on logs dragged out of the woods and looking very worn out.  
  
I turned on my lightsaber, its humming breaking the stony silence, and its light slightly illuminating the darkening surroundings. Everyone looked up at me, and I knew that they knew.  
  
"Okay, everybody!" I called out. "Get three hours of sleep. In three hours I will wake you up and brief you! Because we're not waiting for the morning!"  
  
PART THREE:  
  
Now the fog is deep and heavy  
  
As we forge the dark and fear  
  
We can hear their horses breathing  
  
As in silence we draw near  
  
There are no words to be spoken  
  
Just a look to say good-bye  
  
I draw a breath and night is broken  
  
As I scream our battle cry  
  
Ireland I am coming home  
  
I can see your rolling fields of green  
  
And fences made of stone  
  
I am reaching out won't you take my hand  
  
I'm coming home, Ireland.  
  
I could barely see the enemy fort through the trees as I slowly crept up to it. I glanced to my right and saw Master Bohl, quiet as a mouse.  
  
We had been sneaking forward for nearly an hour. I had briefed everyone on what to do, and now the only thing to do was go quiet, and think about other things.  
  
I still missed my master. No matter how long I tried to get over it, I missed him, and I missed Ireland. I wish I could just be home right now, practicing with my lightsaber and guarding the tunnel.  
  
Suddenly I heard a snort from the fort. I'm not surprised. It was just one of their horses. Horses, found only on Alderaan, are hoofed animals used for food. As we get closer we can hear the horses' breathing more clearly.  
  
Finally we crouched behind the bushes ringing the fort. I looked over at Master Bohl, saying a wordless goodbye. Standing up, I turned on my lightsaber, the signal for the attack!  
  
I don't know why I decided to yell something, but it just escaped my lips, and the night air was filled with the sound of "Ireland!"  
  
Seven other lightsabers lit up the outside of the fort as blaster bolts hit the fort sentries.  
  
I ran forward, knowing Bohl was right behind me, and leapt halfway up the fort wall. I used the force to reattach my lightsaber to my belt as I grabbed hold of the wall and started to climb up.  
  
Suddenly a scream was uttered behind me and I felt a drop in the force. Master Bohl had been shot from the bolts raining down on us from the warriors above.  
  
I used the force to fly the rest of the way up the wall, and when I landed, my saber was already in my hand. I slashed out with it at the warriors around me, neatly killing each one. I then dropped down from the ramparts, down to the ground.  
  
My eyes instantly took in everything around me. The remaining Jedi were dropping down from the ramparts as I did, the soldiers were still scaling the wall, and thirty-some warriors were headed for me.  
  
I ran away from them to the group of Jedi assembling behind me. We formed ourselves into a line, each of us an arm's length away from each other.  
  
As one, we broke into a run, all of us screaming out war cries. The most prominent one, though, being "Ireland".  
  
PART FOUR:  
  
I am home Ireland.  
  
VOICE RECORDING: 19233.12  
  
USER: Jedi Master Konigian Sutters  
  
RECORDING TITLE: Ireland  
  
I have a feeling that Eeth would have wanted me to make this, seeing as he always talked about keeping records. I, Jedi Master Konigian Sutters, was one of the surviving Jedi.  
  
Well, after we formed into a line, we attacked the warriors and, after a tough battle, overcame them.  
  
But it wasn't without loss. That midnight raid killed almost everyone of our men, including Eeth.  
  
After we won and captured the head man of Alderaan, he decided to make a peace. Now, seven years later, Alderaan is peaceful, and one of the best planets in the Republic.  
  
I just wanted to tell anyone who is listening to this recording: Eeth Reed is now back home, in Ireland.  
  
Let us hope that we all go there someday.  
  
THE END 


End file.
